“Put an explanation point to make it louder”: Uncovering Emergent Writing Revelations through Talk

Abstract

Young children emerging as writers bring a plethora of knowledge and skills related to literacy into early childhood contexts. Based on the results of a year-long observational field study of fourteen prekindergarten children engaged in conversation during literacy events, the article focuses on the role of talk in igniting and influencing the pursuit of emergent writing discoveries and transforming emergent writers’ identities as literacy learners. Using discourse analysis, children’s talk were examined across three levels: (a) what participants talked about; (b) roles they played during interactions; and (c) ways they communicated intent. Three aspects of the classroom environment contributed to children’s writing revelations: first, work time is fertile ground for literacy learning; second, talk plays a key role in becoming literate; and third, peers play a role in the transformation of emergent writers. The article illustrates children’s use of writing to convey meaning and their ability to mentor and jointly construct their understanding of literacy with fellow writers. Data were supplemented with excerpts from teacher interviews to describe the context in which writing revelations emerged. The findings expand our understanding of emergent writing development and provide further direction for investigating the potential of talk in supporting emergent writers.